In recent years, unless products themselves are “remarkable” (differentiated enough to be remembered), they are not sold well. In addition to the excellent performance of a product itself, a “see-tech-marketing” or “Visual Technology Strategy,” i.e., sparking visual pleasure from the appearance of the product to attract consumer attention, has been used as a differentiation strategy for cutting through the competition. The color and shape of the product packaging or container as well as the product itself have been specially designed in the cosmetics industry, with the attempt of providing visual pleasure and aesthetic sense when the product is seen or used.
As one of the most typically employed formulation systems in the cosmetics industry, “emulsion” refers to a system where oil phase and water phase are evenly dispersed by emulsion technology. Examples of factors that affect the physical and chemical properties of such emulsion can include the type of surfactant, internal/external phase ratio, emulsion type <oil/water (O/W), water/oil (W/O), water/oil/water (W/O/W) and the like>, thickener, particle size and the like; O/W emulsion normally applied in cosmetics is composed of particles of approximately 0.5-10 μm in size.
Compositions currently used for make-up or skin are generally provided in the form of oil-in-water type emulsions (i.e., excipients constituted of a continuous aqueous dispersion phase and a non-continuous oil dispersion phase) or water-in-oil emulsions (i.e., excipients constituted of a continuous oil dispersion phase and a non-continuous aqueous dispersion phase).
Thus, water-in-oil emulsions contain a continuous oil phase. It allows to prevent the loss of water passing through the epithelium at the surface of the skin and form a lipid membrane that protects the skin from stimulation from the outside. Such emulsions are particularly suitable to protect the skin, supply it with nourishment, and for the treatment of dry skin. Oil-in-water emulsions provide smoother skin, are less oily and give a lighter feeling than when a water-in-oil emulsion is used.
Reflecting the latest trends in cosmetics, i.e., sparking fun and emotion, there have been many attempts to transform the unique form, the color and/or texture of emulsion formulation, so as to provide users with visual pleasure, aesthetic sense and pleasure of make-up in addition to the effects derived when the emulsion cosmetics themselves are used.
In Korea Patent Application No. 10-1995-0012596 (published on 17 Dec. 1996), it is disclosed separately manufacturing aqueous phase (A) containing ethanol and water, and oil phase (B) containing hydrogenated polyisobutene, pearl powder and jojoba oil. The oil phase (B) was completely dispersed in the aqueous phase (A), followed by letting the mixture stand for 30-40 minutes. Then, pearl-colored oil phase beads of 3-8 mm form at the lower portion of the alcohol phase and maintain the shape stably for a long period. External force can destruct the oil phase beads to become micro dispersion in the aqueous phase. After a certain period, they grow to be the pearl-colored oil phase beads of the same size. Therefore, the reversible pearl-colored beads exist as an oil phase itself while the oil phase (B) is not dissolved in the aqueous phase (A). Each bead forms an oil phase particle of o/w emulsion.
Korea Patent Application No. 10-2007-0137515 (published on Jul. 1, 2009) teaches a method for obtaining semi-transparent or translucent polymer gel beads of about 1-2 mm. In order to obtain the beads, a solution of a pigment, carrageenan, agar and polyhydric alcohol is simply cooled to form a gel phase followed by extruding the gel phase through fine nozzles. The beads manufactured through this method do not have any regulated round shape, but are in the form of amorphous soft gel capsule. According to the inventor thereof, the cosmetics containing these beads look like a pomegranate, thereby providing joyous makeup. However, the semi-transparent or translucent polymer gel beads disclosed by the patent application have almost no cosmetic function but merely decorate the appearance of the cosmetics containing the beads.
Korean Patent Application No. 10-2006-004420 (published on Nov. 15, 2007) teaches an emulsion composition containing macro-sized (0.01-5 mm) lipid capsule particles. The lipid capsule particle consists of an outer shell lipid capsule, which is formed with lipid or lipid-like material solid at room temperature, and oil collected therein. In the lipid capsule particles, however, stability improves by providing outer shell lipid to oil phase particles of o/w type emulsion.
As such, beads formulations known are oil phase particles enlarged in o/w emulsion (Korean Patent Application No. 10-1995-0012596), oil phase particles protected by outer shell (Korean Patent Application No. 10-2006-004420), or oil phase itself in a gel that is not dissolved in an aqueous solution and can be destructed by external force (Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-0137515). It is not disclosed having an emulsion composition itself as beads formulation.
Meanwhile, it was known in the food industry to manufacture bead shape ice cream using a cryogenic freezing method. Ice cream raw material is liquid at room temperature. The ice cream raw material liquid is dropped into a cryogenic refrigerant, such as liquid nitrogen, so as to be solidified in bead shape. The bead shape ice cream manufactured by this method, however, should be stored at a low temperature to maintain the bead shape, as it can revert to be liquid at room temperature.
The present inventors studied and provide a method for manufacturing solid round emulsion beads by applying a low temperature or cryogenic freezing method to liquid emulsion. The present inventors also studied and provide various methods how to maintain the solid round emulsion beads prepared by the same at room temperature.